[sudo-announce] Secure path feature may be circumvented

Sudo versions 1.7.2p7 and 1.6.9p23 are now available. These releases
fix a flaw that may allow an attacker to bypass the "secure path"
feature if it is enabled.
Summary:
Sudo "secure path" feature works by replacing the PATH environment
variable with a value specified in the sudoers file, or at
compile time if the --with-secure-path configure option is used.
The flaw is that sudo only replaces the first instance of PATH
in the environment. If the program being run through sudo uses
the last instance of PATH in the environment, an attacker may
be able to avoid the "secure path" restrictions.
Sudo versions affected:
Sudo 1.3.1 through 1.6.9p22 and Sudo 1.7.0 through 1.7.2p6.
Download links:
http://www.sudo.ws/sudo/dist/sudo-1.7.2p7.tar.gzftp://ftp.sudo.ws/pub/sudo/sudo-1.7.2p7.tar.gzhttp://www.sudo.ws/sudo/dist/sudo-1.6.9p23.tar.gzftp://ftp.sudo.ws/pub/sudo/sudo-1.6.9p23.tar.gz
Details:
Most versions of the C library function getenv() return the
first instance of an environment variable to the caller. However,
some programs, notably the GNU Bourne Again SHell (bash), do
their own environment parsing and may choose the last instance
of a variable rather than the first one.
An attacker may manipulate the environment of the process that
executes Sudo such that a second PATH variable is present. When
Sudo runs a bash script, it is this second PATH variable that
is used by bash, regardless of whether or not Sudo has overwritten
the first instance of PATH. This may allow an attacker to
subvert the program being run under Sudo and execute commands
he/she would not otherwise be allowed to run.
Impact:
Exploitation of the bug requires that Sudo be configured with
the "secure path" option enabled, either at build-time (via
configure) or at run-time (via sudoers). It also requires that
the user be granted permission to run a command that does its
own environment handling, such as a bash script, and that this
command does not set PATH itself.
If the "secure path" feature is not in use there is no impact.
Credit:
Evan Broder and Anders Kaseorg of Ksplice, Inc.
See Also:
http://www.sudo.ws/sudo/alerts/secure_path.html